For some time now, our Congregation has been in contact with you to clarify the
Christological positions you have set forth in your book, Jesus: An
Experiment in Christology.

On Oct. 20, 1976, through the intermediacy of Cardinal Willebrands, whom it
informed of the examination under way, the Congregation, having noted that the
book contained ambiguous propositions which could be dangerous for your readers,
addressed to you a list of questions dealing with the content of the book and
the method used.

On April 13, 1977, you answered these questions in a letter which provided
various explanations; these did not eliminate all the difficulties, as was
explained to you in an "appreciation of the response," which our Congregation
sent to you July 6, 1978.

In the meantime, you had published Christ: The Experience of Jesus as Lord,
the second book of the trilogy on Christology which you had announced. Several
months later, you sent to the Congregation your little work, Intermediate
Discussion Concerning TwoBooks on Jesus, accompanied by a card which
said: "In this little book, I explained some passages that are a bit obscure or
disputed on Jesus Christ..."

An attentive examination of this last publication showed that it indeed
contained some interesting precisions, but that nevertheless your own position
remained ambiguous on fundamental points of the Catholic faith. Thus, in view of
the gravity of the questions under examination, the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith decided to invite you to a colloquium for final
clarifications, in conformity with Articles 13-15 of its program of operation.
Through the intermediacy of Cardinal Willebrands, you were asked July 6, 1978,
to come to Rome, in order to clarify your Christological position in a
discussion with representatives of our Congregation. The same letter indicated
to you also the essential points which this colloquium would cover.

After further contacts, delayed among other things by the deaths of Popes Paul
VI and John Paul I, Cardinal Willebrands informed the Congregation (letter of
June 30, 1979) that you agreed to participate in the colloquium. So, after
exchanges of letters that were indispensable for determining the time and the
procedure of the colloquium, it took place Dec. 13, 14 and 15, 1979, at the
offices of the Congregation with the participation of Msgr. A. Bovone, moderator
of the discussions, and of Bishop Albert Descamps, and Fathers A. Patfoort, O.P.,
and J. Galot, S.J.

At the time of a meeting with the authorities of the Congregation which
immediately preceded the colloquium, you were reminded that its purpose was not
to proceed to a judgment, nor to take decisions, but to complete the information
about your Christological position. They told you finally that at the end of the
colloquium a report would be drawn up, which, once accepted by the two sides,
would then be submitted to the examination of the cardinals who are members of
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Having met in Ordinary Session, the Cardinals proceeded to this examination in
the light of the explanations you gave in your written response of April 13,
1977 and the colloquium of Dec. 13-15, 1979.

They noted that the procedure followed showed its utility since it permitted you
to explain the goal, method and literary genre of your writings and to clear up
a certain number of ambiguities.

In formulating their conclusions, which were approved by the Holy Father, the
cardinals emphasized that these were valid solely for the three works indicated
at the beginning of this letter.

Consequently, speaking in their name, in my capacity as Prefect of this
Congregation, I want to communicate to you what follows:

— 1. The Congregation takes note of the clarifications, precisions and
corrections that you made at the colloquium and in your letter, in relation to
your published works (cf. attached document, pp. 1-4).

— 2. It judges nevertheless that on certain points the explanations provided
have not sufficed to do away with the ambiguities (cf. attached document, pp.
4-5).

For this reason, I ask you:

1) To make known to the public which has access to your works the
clarifications, precisions and corrections which emerge from the recent
explanations that you have given to the Congregation. It must in fact be kept in
mind that the book, Jesus... is known to a vast public. Therefore, your
explanations which, on decisive points, go further than the affirmations of the
published books, are important not only for the ecclesiastical Magisterium, but
also for your readers who have the right to be informed about indications of
such importance.

2) To review in the light of Catholic doctrine the points on which a certain
ambiguity still weighs, and to manifest publicly your intention to comply with
this request.

Furthermore, it must be recognized that, despite the extent of its program, the
colloquium was not able to press far enough the clarifications which would have
been required, on the one hand, by the manner in which you consider the
relations between revelation and experience, and on the other hand, by the role
which you attribute in theology to a manuductio (leading by hand) of an
apologetic type. By reason of that and of the doubts which still remain, the
Congregation, which abstains for the moment from forming a judgment on this
subject, cannot dispense itself from stressing the necessity of a perfect
conformity to the principles to which any theological work must adhere. As far
as the relation between revelation and experience is concerned (with its
consequences for the normative role of the formal teachings of the Bible and the
documents of the Magisterium), it particularly draws your attention to what is
set forth in the "Declaration in Defense of Catholic Doctrine on the Church
Against Certain Errors of the Present Day," 5 (AAS LXV, 1973, pp. 402-404).

I would be grateful to you, Reverend Father, to let me know what means seems to
you most effective for satisfying the requests I have expressed. For its part,
the Congregation would have in mind an article that you would prepare in accord
with it, taking as a guide the document attached to the present letter. But it
is ready to consider any other means that you could propose.

We are sending a copy of this letter to His Eminence Cardinal Willebrands, who
is following this affair in his capacity as Chancellor of the University of
Nijmegen, and another to the Most Reverend Master General of the Dominican
Order, your Superior.

In the expectation of a favorable response on your part, I beg you to accept,
Reverend Father, the expression of my sentiments of respectful devotedness.